A valve opening-closing timing control device includes a housing member rotating together with one of a cam shaft and a crank shaft of a combustion engine, a rotor member rotatably attached to said housing member; and rotating together with the other of said crank shaft and said cam shaft, a hydraulic pressure chamber formed between said housing member and said rotor member, the hydraulic pressure chamber being divided into an advance angle hydraulic chamber and a retard angle hydraulic chamber by a vane integrally provided with said rotor member, a lock mechanism including a lock member movably provided at the housing member and a receiving portion formed at said rotor member for receiving the lock member, whereby the lock mechanism restricts a relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by advancing the lock member into the receiving portion and allows the relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion, a hydraulic pressure circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to said advance angle hydraulic chamber, said retard angle hydraulic chamber, and said lock mechanism, and a projecting portion formed at a bottom of said receiving portion and including a top end face smaller than a sectional area of said lock member.
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1. A valve opening-closing timing control device, comprising:
a housing member rotating together with one of a cam shaft and a crank shaft of a combustion engine;
a rotor member rotatably attached to said housing member; and rotating together with the other of said crank shaft and said cam shaft;
a hydraulic pressure chamber formed between said housing member and said rotor member; the hydraulic pressure chamber being divided into an advance angle hydraulic chamber and a retard angle hydraulic chamber by a vane integrally provided with said rotor member;
a lock mechanism including a lock member movably provided at the housing member and a receiving portion formed at said rotor member for receiving the lock member, whereby the lock mechanism restricts a relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by advancing the lock member into the receiving portion and allows the relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion;
a hydraulic pressure circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to said advance angle hydraulic chamber, said retard angle hydraulic chamber, and said lock mechanism; and
a projecting portion formed at a bottom of said receiving portion and including a top end face smaller than a sectional area of said lock member.
2. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
an hydraulic passage is connected to said bottom via an opening portion having larger circumferential width than width of said top end face.
3. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
the area of said top end face of the projecting portion is smaller than that of an end portion of said lock member.
4. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
the width of said top end face of the projecting portion is smaller than circumferential width of said lock member.
5. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
said receiving portion penetrates said rotor member in axial direction.
6. The valve opening-losing timing control device according to
a hydraulic pressure groove having a concave shape is open to the bottom of the receiving portion in the circumferential direction.
7. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
at least one connecting groove is formed in said projecting portion and is connected to said hydraulic pressure groove.
8. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
said at least one connecting groove is formed in at least one end of said projecting portion in the axial direction.
9. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
said at least one connecting groove is open to one end surface of said rotor member.
10. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
the height of said projecting portion is lower than radial height of an opening provided at said bottom of said hydraulic pressure groove.
11. The valve opening-losing timing control device according to
a circumferential wall of said hydraulic pressure groove has a round shape.
12. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
width of said receiving portion is larger than the circumferential width of said lock member.
13. The valve opening-closing timing control device according to
a vertical cross-section of said projecting portion has a trapezoidal shape in vertical cross section relative to axial direction.
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This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application 2003-305538, filed on Aug. 28, 2003, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve opening-closing timing control device for controlling opening-closing timing of an intake and exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine.
2. Background
Conventionally, there is a valve opening-closing timing control device including a housing member rotatable together with a crank shaft of a combustion engine, a rotor member integrally rotatable with the cam shaft, the rotor member relatively rotatably attached to the housing member, a hydraulic pressure chamber formed between the housing member and the rotor member and divided into two chambers as an advance angle hydraulic chamber and a retard angle hydraulic chamber by a vane provided together with the rotor member, a lock mechanism for restricting relative rotation by advancing a lock member provided in the housing member movably in a receiving portion formed in the rotor member and enabling relative rotation by retracting from the receiving portion, and a hydraulic pressure circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to the advance angle hydraulic chamber, the retard angle hydraulic chamber, and the lock mechanism, in which the lock mechanism is released by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion by supplying hydraulic fluid flowing into the advance angle hydraulic chamber or the retard angle hydraulic chamber to the receiving portion (JP2000-52425A2).
Further, there is the other type of valve opening-closing timing control device for releasing the lock mechanism by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion by supplying hydraulic fluid to the advance angle hydraulic chamber or the retard angle hydraulic chamber through the receiving portion (JP2003-13713A2).
These devices can avoid an unstable lock condition between the rotor member and the housing member under the condition in which hydraulic pressure cannot be controlled at the time of starting-an engine, or the like, by providing the receiving portion for receiving the lock member in the rotor member, advancing a plate type lock member into the receiving portion, and engaging the receiving portion with the lock member. This lock member is advanced into the receiving portion by pushing toward the receiving portion side using an biasing member. Relative rotation is started after the lock condition (a lock mechanism) is released by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion using hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure). In order to start rotation of the rotor relative to the housing member, the lock member should be retracted from the receiving portion. Thus, a condition of the lock member is changed from that of the lock member engaged with the receiving portion, in other words, that the lock member advanced into the receiving portion.
However, in case that the lock member is advanced into the receiving portion, since the whole area of a top end portion of the lock member contacts to a bottom portion of the receiving portion, time for retracting the lock member from the receiving portion is long because hydraulic pressure is insufficiently applied to the lock member and the power for separating the lock member from the bottom portion is very small. Accordingly, before sufficient hydraulic pressure for retracting the lock member from the receiving portion is applied to the lock member, the housing member and the rotor member start relatively rotating and the lock member is held between the rotor member and the housing member. In other words, because the lock member is insufficiently retracted, the lock is insufficiently released.
A need thus exists for a valve opening-dosing timing control device which can avoid an insufficient lock release caused by an insufficient retracting of the lock member being held between the rotor member and the housing member when the rotor member relatively rotates to the housing member.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a valve opening-closing timing control device includes a housing member rotating together with one of a cam shaft and a crank shaft of a combustion engine, a rotor member rotatably attached to said housing member; and rotating together with the other of said crank shaft and said cam shaft, a hydraulic pressure chamber formed between said housing member and said rotor member, the hydraulic pressure chamber being divided into an advance angle hydraulic chamber and a retard angle hydraulic chamber by a vane integrally provided with said rotor member, a lock mechanism including a lock member movably provided at the housing member and a receiving portion formed at said rotor member for receiving the lock member, whereby the lock mechanism restricts a relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by advancing the lock member into the receiving portion and allows the relative rotation between the rotor member and the housing member by retracting the lock member from the receiving portion, a hydraulic pressure circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to said advance angle hydraulic chamber, said retard angle hydraulic chamber, and said lock mechanism, and a projecting portion formed at a bottom of said receiving portion and including a top end face smaller than a sectional area of said lock member.
The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
An embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to drawings as follows.
A valve opening-closing timing control device 1 of
As is well known, the rotating force is transmitted to a plurality of timing sprockets 31 in the clockwise direction, which is shown in
The cam shaft 10 includes a well known cam (not shown) for opening and closing an intake valve (not shown). An advance angle passage (hydraulic pressure circuit) 12 and a retard angle passage (hydraulic pressure circuit) 11 are provided at the inside of the cam shaft 10. The advance angle passage 12 and the retard angle passage 11 are extended in axial direction of the cam shaft 10. The retard angle passage 11 is connected to the first connection port 201 of a directional control valve 200 through a ring shape groove 14 and a passage 71 provided in the cam shaft 10 in the axial direction and a connection passage 16 provided in the cylinder head 100. Further, the advance angle passage 12 is connected to the second connection port 202 of the directional control valve 200 through a connection passage 15 provided in the cylinder head 100 and a ring shape groove 13 and a passage 72 provided in the cam shaft 10 in the axial direction.
The directional control valve 200 is a publicly known valve for moving a spool 204 against biasing force of a spring, not shown in the drawing, by applying electricity to a solenoid 203. In case electricity is not applied to the solenoid 203, as shown in
The rotor 20 is fixed integrally with the cam shaft 10 by a fixing bolt 91. Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The front plate 40 and the rear plate 50 having ring shapes are welded together at both sides of the housing 30 in the axial direction and integrally assembled by five connecting bolts 92. Plural timing sprockets 31 are formed at an outer circumference of a end portion of the housing 30 in the axial direction, the end portion of the housing 30 being contacted with the rear plate 50. Each of five projecting portions 33 is formed projecting from the circumference side to the inside of the housing 30 in circumference direction. Each inner circumferential surface of these projecting portions 33 is slidably engaged with the outer circumferential surface of the inner rotor 20, and the housing 30 is pivotally supported about the rotor 20. Further, each lateral surface 33a of each projecting portion 33A of five projecting portions 33 contacts with each lateral surfaces 70a of the vane 70A for straining an rotating angular range between the housing 30 and the rotor 20 toward the advance angle direction. Further, each lateral surfaces 33b of a each projecting portions 33B contacts with each lateral surfaces 70b of the vanes 70B for straining an rotating angular range between the housing 30 and the rotor 20 in the retarding direction. An accommodating groove 34 for accommodating the lock plate 80 is provided between two projecting portions 33 of five projecting portions 33. In addition, an accommodating hole 35 for accommodating a coil spring 81 biasing the lock plate 80 in the radial direction, the accommodating hole 35 being connected to the accommodating groove 34, is also provided between the two projecting portions 33 of five projecting portions 33. Further, each of the mentioned four hydraulic pressure chamber R0 is formed between respective two projecting portions 33 of five projecting portions 33.
As shown in
One end of the torsion spring 60 is engaged with the front plate 40 and the other end of the torsion spring 60 is engaged with the internal rotor 20. The rotor 20 is biased toward the advance angle direction (clockwise direction of
The operation of the valve opening-closing timing control device 1 structured above will be explained as follows. In case the internal combustion engine is not running, the hydraulic pump 205 is not operated and electricity is not applied to the directional control valve 200. Therefore, hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) is not supplied to the hydraulic pressure chamber R0. In this time, as shown in
Depending on the driving condition of the internal combustion engine, if the advance angle condition is needed for opening and closing valve, the duty ratio of electrifying the directional control valve 200 is increased and the position of the spool 204 is switched. Hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) supplied from the hydraulic pump 205 is supplied through the connection passage 15, the advance angle passage 12, and the advance angle hydraulic passage 24 to the advance angle hydraulic chamber R1. Hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) supplied from the hydraulic pump 205 is also supplied through the hydraulic fluid groove 24a after supplied to the receiving portion 22 from the lock hydraulic passage 25. Here, hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) supplied to the receiving portion 22 from the lock hydraulic passage 25 flows into the hydraulic pressure groove 22b formed in both circumferential sides of the bottom portion 22f and flows in the axial direction of the bottom portion 22f along the hydraulic pressure groove 22b. Hydraulic fluid which flowed in the axial direction of the bottom portion 22f flows in the circumferential direction through the connecting groove 22c and introduced into the end portion 80a of the lock plate 80. Accordingly, the area of flowing passage supplying hydraulic fluid into the end portion 80a of the lock plate 80 is enlarged by the hydraulic pressure groove 22b and the connecting groove 22c, thus hydraulic fluid can be rapidly introduced into the end portion 80a. Further, since the area of the end portion 80a of the lock plate 80 contacting with hydraulic fluid is provided, hydraulic pressure for releasing the lock plate 80 can be more increased than that of conventional technique. The whole area of the end portion 80a of the lock plate 80 contacts the bottom portion 22f of the receiving portion 22 in the conventional technique. In other words, while the lock plate 80 contacts with the top end face 22e, the space S is formed around the projecting portion 22a. Accordingly, hydraulic fluid flows into the space S, hydraulic pressure influences the end portion 80a, and the lock plate 80 can be separated from the projecting portion 22a. Therefore, time for retracting the lock plate 80 from the receiving portion 22 can be reduced. Accordingly, before the housing 30 and the rotor 20 starts relative rotating, sufficient hydraulic pressure is applied to the end portion 80a of the lock plate 80 to be retracted from the receiving portion 22. Thus, a malfunction of releasing the lock condition caused by the lock plate 80 being held between the rotor 20 and the housing 30 and being insufficiently retracted from the receiving portion 22 can be avoided. As mentioned above, hydraulic fluid introduced into the receiving portion 22 operates the lock plate 80 to be accommodated in the accommodating groove 34 of the housing 30 and supplied into the advance angle hydraulic chamber R1 through the hydraulic fluid groove 24a. Above mentioned hydraulic fluid supplied into the advance angle hydraulic chamber R1, as well as hydraulic fluid supplied into the advance angle hydraulic chamber R1 through the advance angle hydraulic passage 24, rotates a rotor member 2 in the advance angle direction to the housing member 3.
On the other hand, hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) in the retard angle hydraulic chamber R2 is discharged from the discharge port 207 of the directional control valve 200 through the retard angle hydraulic passage 23, the retard angle passage 11, and the connection passage 16. Thus, the rotor 20 is rotated relative to the housing 30 in advance angle direction. The lateral face 33a of the projecting portion 33A of the housing 30 contacts with the lateral surface 70a of the vane 70A, thus the rotation of the rotor 20 relative to the housing 30 in the advance angle direction is restricted.
Then, if retard angle condition is needed for opening and closing valve, the duty ratio of electrifying the directional controlling valve 200 is decreased to switch the position of the spool 204. The hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) supplied from the hydraulic pump 205 is supplied into the retard angle hydraulic chamber R2 through the connection passage 16, the retard angle passage 11, and the retard angle hydraulic passage 23. On the other hand, hydraulic fluid (hydraulic pressure) of the advance angle hydraulic chamber R1 is discharged from the discharge port 207 of the directional controlling valve 200 through the hydraulic fluid groove 24a, the receiving portion 22, and the lock hydraulic passage 25, as well as the advance angle hydraulic passage 24, the advance angle passage 12, and the connection passage 15. Thus, the rotor 20 is rotated relative to the housing 30 in retard angle direction (the counterclockwise direction of
Here, the relative rotational position between the rotor 20 and the housing 30 can be determined in an arbitrary position, for example, middle position between the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position by controlling the duty ratio of the directional control valve 200.
The principles, preferred embodiment and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the sprit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby.
Kobayashi, Masaki, Nakajima, Shigeru, Kawai, Yoshiyuki
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Aug 27 2004 | Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Nov 11 2004 | KAWAI, YOSHIYUKI | Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016078 | /0886 | |
Nov 11 2004 | KOBAYASHI, MASAKI | Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016078 | /0886 | |
Nov 11 2004 | NAKAJIMA, SHIGERU | Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016078 | /0886 |
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